the best revenge

Since day one, Revenge has always had the power to suck us in and spit us out an hour later with its twists and turns of Hamptons betrayal, love triangles, and duh, Emily Van Camp's blood-chilling glare. But last night's episode had yet another twist, when Nolan Ross (played by Gabriel Mann) made a serious statement--sartorial and otherwise--with his "Free Nolan" top. (Yes, he wore his on face on a t-shirt. But that's another story). 

We won't give away any spoilers on the episode, but what we will say is this tee is available to buy online right this second. Pretty cool, huh? But before you whip out your credit card, see what Mann has to say about the meta experience, how he almost became a doll, and what he really thinks about those Revenge conspiracy theories. 

Hey Gabe! How was it having your face on a t-shirt, while everyone else was watching it on TV? Pretty meta, right?

You seriously took the words right out of my mouth--it was so meta. One of the best things about Revenge is the fact that the entire creative team has such a self-awareness about the show and the characters and the story lines, and they definitely took full advantage of that in this episode. And the fact that fans can actually buy it really takes it to another level. It's flattering that they did it, and I honestly want to buy one myself. I'll probably be hitting up abc.com immediately after we hang up.

I feel like they can probably spare to give you one for free...you did inspire it, after all. 

[Laughing] Who knows, I hope so! This has never really happened to me before. The closest I've been was during Josie and the Pussycats, and they were thinking of doing dolls. We got the molds done of our bodies and everything, but at the very last minute they pulled the plug. Oh well.

How much of a say do you have on what Nolan's wardrobe is like?

I actually have a pretty big say. The costume designer, Jill Ohanneson, always brings options in the beginning of the seasons and we talk about what the character feels and how we will be expressing it in our wardrobe. For this character, clothing is a big part of what makes him him; it continues to evolve throughout the seasons. The way that you put yourself together is a direct way of where you are psychologically and emotionally, so we try to reflect that. 

What about those conspiracy theories about how the clothing foreshadows what's coming up in the show?

Having worked on the show, I'd say Revenge conspiracy theories are not far from the truth! I've been able to confirm these conspiracy theories myself [laughing]. It comes down to the details--the color choices, the amount of skin you're going to show, whether it's casual or formal. This is literally the first time Nolan Ross wears a t-shirt, so you gotta go big! We had a photo shoot and it was a whole thing. It still blows my mind that it's available to the masses. 

How does the wardrobe reflect what's going on in Nolan's head? 

This t-shirt in particular was a perfect psychological gesture of where Nolan is at in the show; he was more than happy to share where he is with the world. I appreciate that about his character. Also, just in case anyone was wondering, the pose Nolan is doing was inspired by Jane Fonda's mugshot. Everyone on Twitter has been talking about it, so just clearing that up!

Speaking of Twitter, you have awesome taste in music. What bands are you into right now? 

Thanks! Let me pull up my iTunes now...my thing is, I will get into a particular moment with an artist and just play it to death. Right now I'm revisiting my love of The Knife; they had a new record that dropped a few months ago and I'm still loving that. I'll always have a soft place for Moby, Jay-Z....I'm really into that "Tom Ford" song. I'm a huge fan of Sia, too. She has an amazing song off the new Hunger Games soundtrack with The Weeknd and Diplo and it just blows my mind, it's so good.

Buy the Revenge Nolan Mugshot T-shirt here.